The SHL selected Saskatchewan Shockers G Zeke Zagurski as its Player of the Week. Zagurski had a tremendous week in net for the Shockers, going 3-0-1 with a 0.73 GAA and a .976 save percentage. With Zagurski leading the way, the Shockers posted a 3-1-1 record on the week, better than any other team in the West. For the season, Zagurski stands at 12-18-3, with a 2.52 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

On Saturday, Zagurski made 28 saves to outduel Riki Tiktuunen and the Quebec Tigres, 2-1. On Tuesday, he stopped all 37 Washington shots as the Shockers knocked off the Galaxy 1-0. On Friday, Zagurski made 29 stops as Saskatchewan rolled to a 10-1 thrashing of New York.

“One of these days, people are going to realize that Zeke is one of the league’s best netminders,” said Shockers interim coach Caleb Ponder. “He doesn’t get enough credit because we don’t win enough games, but when we finally make it to the playoffs and make some noise, the world will finally recognize Zeke’s greatness.”

Dean Humphrey’s SHL career has been a strange one, to say the least. The blueliner’s excellent speed and decent passing ability made him a fringe prospect for a time, but his defensive struggles, awkward skating style, and unfortunate knack for bonehead mistakes kept him from seizing a starting job (although it did make him a folk hero in Seattle for a while).

Dean Humphrey

This season, Humphrey couldn’t find a major-league job at all; he wound up signing a minor-league pact with the Washington Galaxy and has spent the season playing for their CHL affiliate, the Baltimore Blue Crabs. There, the 25-year-old defenseman has continued his typical career trajectory: flashes of promise marred by frustrating errors, a handful of assists, and no goals.

This week, Humphrey scored his first goal of the season; in fact, it’s the first goal of his entire SHL tenure. Normally, this would be a cause for celebration. But because this is Humphrey, this was nothing to cheer about. The reason is that his tally occurred when he inadvertently flung the puck into his own net.

“It’s never easy to guess what you’re going to get with Dean,” said Blue Crabs coach Roland Tedesco. “But this… this was something else again.”

The incident occurred early in the third period of Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Hogs. In real time, it unfolded so quickly that it was hard to tell what had happened. One moment, Humphrey and Hogs D Seth Dowd were chasing after a loose puck in the corner; the next moment, it was behind Crabs goalie Gennady Kulbakin in the net.

It was only after viewing it in slow-motion that the disaster became clear. Dowd got to the puck first and flipped it toward the crease, only for it to get stuck in Humphrey’s glove. Humphrey tried to fling the puck away, but it managed to find daylight between the goalie and the crossbar. Since Dowd was the last Milwaukee player to touch the puck, he received credit for the goal.

“I know closing your hand around the puck is a penalty, so once I felt it in my hand I knew I had to get rid of it,” said Humphrey. “I just wanted to throw it down in the other corner or flip it to [Kulbakin] so he could cover it, but it just… wound up in the net.”

As the clip replayed on the Jumbotron, the Crabs sarcastically saluted their teammate by thumping their sticks against the boards, while Humphrey tried to hide his face behind a towel. “The guys already make fun of me a lot,” he admitted. “And this isn’t really going to help with that.”

Given that Baltimore won the game 6-2 despite the friendly-fire goal, the Crabs’ general postgame reaction was bemusement. “I’ve seen own goals before, sure,” said C Tucker Barnhill. “Usually it’s because you’re defending and it takes a bad bounce off your stick, or deflects off your skate blade. Throwing it into the next, that’s… something you don’t usually see.”

“I was kind of impressed with Humps’ aim there,” said D Stan Shakovich. “Normally his shots are way off the mark, but this time he throws it and in it goes. Maybe he should use his hands more often.”

Tedesco’s initially had a hard time seeing the humor in the situation. “An incredibly dumb move by a dumb player,” the coach fumed in his post-game press conference. “Humphrey’s got talent, but he’s throwing it away because he doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together. If I have to watch that again, I’m going to puke.”

The next day, though, he had calmed down a bit. “Slow-mo makes it look worse than it was, almost like he did it on purpose,” Tedesco said of the play. “It was a split-second mistake, and that could happen to anybody. Somehow, though, it feels like it could only happen to Humphrey. He’s one of a kind, he really is.”

SHL Digest: We’re here this week with Ron Wright, the bench boss for the SHL’s best team, the Michigan Gray Wolves. Coach Wright, thanks for speaking with us.

Ron Wright

Ron Wright: Don’t mention it. Speaking to the press is part of my job.

SHLD: I’d ask you about the playoff race, but for your team, there really isn’t one. You’ve been out front of your division since the start of the season, and now you lead the West by over 20 points. Are you surprised at how easy it’s been?

RW: Let’s be clear; nothing about a professional hockey season is easy. Whatever we’ve achieved, we’ve paid for in blood, sweat, and hard work. That said, we were definitely not expecting to have a lead this large at this point in the season.

SHLD: Having a lead like that must make it tempting to take your foot off the gas and cruise. How have you kept your team focused and productive?

RW: I’ve always told my guys that we don’t measure ourselves by the competition. We measure against ourselves. And they know that I’m not going to ease up in practice or slow down just because we’ve running away with the division. Dedication and intensity is what wins championships.

SHLD: Speaking of championships, the East is looking stronger this year. The Hamilton Pistols look like a serious contender, and they’ve played the Wolves tough all season, including a 1-1 tie this week. What do you think of them?

RW: They’ve come a long way in a short time. [Keith] Shields has done a hell of a job with them. They’ve got a powerful offense, and they’ve really integrated their young guys into the program. Their style is an interesting match for ours; they play faster and more offense-oriented. And that’s definitely a matchup that could go either way. We couldn’t take that for granted.

SHLD: The Quebec Tigres are another Eastern team doing well, although their style is more similar to yours.

RW: Yeah, they’re also focused on defense and shot suppression, slowing the pace down. That’s the matchup that the league is dreading, because it would be so boring. But that would be a real chess match.

SHLD: The trading deadline just passed, and almost all of the contenders made moves to improve. The Wolves, on the other hand, stood pat. Did you consider making trades?

RW: I’m sure [GM Tim] Carrier kicked the tires on a couple things, but no, we weren’t looking to upgrade. My team is on the ice. Trying to integrate a new player in midseason is always a challenge; if you’re going to do that, you’d better be confident that it’s a risk worth taking. I’m satisfied with all of my guys.

SHLD: Some thought that you might make a move after [center] Wesley Knight was hit with a 15-game suspension for PED usage. How have you dealt with that?

RW: Let me say first, that was a real shock and a disappointment when I learned about that. He’s too good a player to reach for a crutch like that. But we’ve got Phoenix Cage, who’s stepped in and done a good job in that spot. He’ll be able to hold the fort until Knight is back.

SHLD: Well, thanks for a wide-ranging and interesting conversation. Good luck the rest of the season!